Companion Bill Creates Matching Funds For Publicly Funded Elections

2,389 super PAC's spent $1,104,481,088 in 2016. That's one billion, one hundred four million, four hundred eighty-one thousand, eighty-eight dollars that are not fully disclosed.

In 2016, outside groups together spent more than all candidates in 27 races. Plus political nonprofits are under no legal obligation to disclose their donors. $1,147,213,601 in grants to Political Groups from non-profits have been made since 2008. Clearly, the donors are not doing this for their health. They expect something in return.

The other day while doing research on an another bill, I ran into this House Resolution to amend the constitution to make constitutional rights only extend to natural citizens, I have been aware of two groups that have been working to make such an amendment a reality Move to Amend and Wolf PAC. Wolf-PAC has managed to get 5 state legislatures to pass a bill "to restore true, representative democracy in the United States". They have a 5 step plan to build from the states up. Meanwhile, Move to Amend has created legislation and found sponsors for their bill in congress.

Corporations Are Not People, Money is Not Free Speech

Jan 31, 2017

[WASHINGTON D.C.]Press Release U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, joined by the Move to Amend coalition and a bipartisan group of his colleagues including Republican Congressman Walter Jones, has introduced bipartisan legislation (H.J.Res.48) as the original chief sponsor calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. The Citizens United decision granted corporations and other legal entities the right of free speech under the First Amendment and opened federal election campaigns to the free flow of billions of unrestricted and unreported dollars.

“It’s time to establish once and for all that corporations are not people, money is not free speech, and our elections and public policy-making process are not for sale to the highest corporate bidders. It’s time to take the molding and shaping of public policy out of corporate boardrooms, away from corporate lobbyists, and give it back to the American people. We must divert Congress’s focus away from the corporate interests of millionaires and billionaires and return it back to creating good-paying jobs and rebuilding our middle class.”

It’s time to take the molding and shaping of public policy out of corporate boardrooms, away from corporate lobbyists, and give it back to the American people. We must divert Congress’s focus away from the corporate interests of millionaires and billionaires and return it back to creating good-paying jobs and rebuilding our middle class.”

I wrote my congresswoman, Rep.Tulsi Gabbard and she replied:

"As a cosponsor of the Government By the People Act and the We the People Amendment, I've been working in Congress to overturn Citizens United and push forward policies that empower the voices of the people, not corporations. Our democracy is not for sale, not for any price."

I was not familiar with The Government By the People Act, so I looked it up, it's H.R.20, which would give every citizen a voucher worth up to $50 through a "My Voice Tax Credit" for campaign contributions in $5 increments.

It also aims to make small donations as influential as large donations by matching any donation on a six-to-one level through the establishment of a Freedom From Influence Fund. For example, if someone gets 50 friends to pledge $27 each, that's $1,350. Then when you put in the 6-to-1 matching contribution multiplier, that's an additional $8,100, bringing the total up to $9,450.

Crowd-funded campaigns work. Bernie Sanders raised $226,609,848 in individual contributions in 2016(just $5,622 in superPAC funds) using the math of H.R. 20 this would be $1,359,659,088 or one billion three hundred fifty-nine million six hundred fifty-nine thousand eighty-eight dollars once matched.

When I looked these bills up I noticed that Ms. Gabbard had sponsored H.R.20 in the 115th Congress, but she was not listed as a sponsor of the House Joint Resolution 48. I looked at the same bill from the 114th Congress and she was listed as a sponsor of that. I wrote back and asked: "It appears that Tulsi co-sponsored HJR48 the "We the People Amendment" from the 114th congress but has yet to co-sign on the similar bill from the 115th do you know if she plans on doing so?" The State Communications Director replied: "Yes, she will be cosponsoring again this year." My lesson from this is that even the best representatives are overwhelmed with work, and it is important for citizens like me and you to let them know our priorities as constituents.

Money in politics allows corporate interests to dictate laws to lawmakers. So I encourage you to contact your Representative and ask them to sponsor these two important bills as our democracy depends on it.

Aloha

I endeavor to live my life with aloha, The definition of which is codified into law in Hawai'i
A🌺 - "Akahai", meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness;
L🌸- "Lōkahi", meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
O🌺 - "ʻOluʻolu" meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
H🌸 - "Haʻahaʻa", meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
A🌺 - "Ahonui", meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

In addition I strive to "olelo me ka piha 'oia'i'o" or speak with full truth.
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